Help! Why Is My Icing Cracking?

Decorating By JenniferRemington Updated 9 Jul 2006 , 3:36pm by cakejayhawk

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JenniferRemington Posted 7 Jul 2006 , 10:20pm
post #1 of 7

What can I do to prevent my icing (buttercream)from cracking? Sometimes it does it, and sometimes it doesn't. I have tried to figure, but I can not pin point it. If I move the cake even the slightest bit, the icing cracks in a million places. What am I doing wrong?

6 replies
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cashley Posted 7 Jul 2006 , 10:27pm
post #2 of 7

I would say that you don't have enough support under the cake. If you are getting cracks when you move it then this is probably what it is.

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loves2bake Posted 7 Jul 2006 , 10:29pm
post #3 of 7

That's what happens with crusting bc. Try using a stiffer cake board to prevent bending the cake or move the cake before the icing has crusted over. If you get a crack, mend it. One cool thing about icing mistakes is that they are usually fixable icon_smile.gif

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ckkerber Posted 7 Jul 2006 , 10:42pm
post #4 of 7

I get tips emailed to me from time to time from [email protected]. A lot of the tips are common sense but there was one about cracking buttercream and here it is:

One of our readers asks, "... is there
anything that can be added to buttercream
icing to keep it from crackling or wrinkling
when you move the cake after it has set
for a while?"

Here's the "believe-it-or-not" answer:

When making icing, add just a few drops of 
vinegar to your mixture. This'll keep your 
icing from cracking when it dries on the cake.

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loves2bake Posted 7 Jul 2006 , 10:46pm
post #5 of 7

That's so cool! Does it change the flavor at all?

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ckkerber Posted 7 Jul 2006 , 10:49pm
post #6 of 7

if you're careful to only add a few drops, you shouldn't notice any change to the flavor.

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cakejayhawk Posted 9 Jul 2006 , 3:36pm
post #7 of 7

Have you tried adding the vinegar to your icing? Does it really work? If it did that would be great! Anybody else out there try this? Thanks icon_smile.gif

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